The Best Gear you Need for your child with Hypotonia, GDD or Special Needs.

Here is the information I wish I had years ago! We went through a lot of trial and error with finding ways to accommodate Davie in our day to day life. Which strollers would support him best? How can I prop him in a store buggy? Can he use a walker/bouncer? He ALWAYS needed to be at a slight incline while sitting, eating or sleeping. He still tires out very quickly and we have learned to literally pad our entire home in case he slips or gives out. I'm going to share lots of links to the items that have been literal lifesavers for Davie (and us.)

The first thing we realized we needed quickly was a monitor while he slept or when he was sick. This is something we ordered online on our way home from his NICU stay after birth. We picked up an owlet monitor from Target and I had it almost set up before we arrived home with him for the first time. We actually went through two of these. No, they are not 100% foul proof, but I can tell you if you have a medically fragile baby then some type of monitor is a necessity. Davie used the owlet until he was almost 18 months old.

With Davie's constant desats and gagging episodes we realized we needed a crib wedge to raise him up. This was something he used for almost two years. I know they always say to put babies on their backs, but if Davie was not in prone positioning with a slight incline then he was struggling to breath.

This helped keep his O2 within normal ranges. These also help when your child is congested and needs relief.

Next on our list was an infant scale to weight him. A few weeks after bringing him home he was diagnosed with failure to thrive from burning so much energy trying to breath and eat. This helped me monitor him between doctor visits. Davie's PCP was having him come in twice a week for weight checks so this helped us reduce those visits as long as he was, in fact, gaining. We got one like this https://amzn.to/3PcWJKi and used it multiple times a day. We even used it after he started taking off. It's nice to have something to easily weigh your own baby!

For bath time, we used a simple bath sling like this one https://amzn.to/3QbEDcQ for almost two years! We put him in our kitchen sink because it was easier to stand up and bathe him. However, I had Davie's first physical therapist recommend putting him in a box or container with high sides to help him learn to sit up. I had this bathtub in my closet and started using it as a therapy tool. It was perfect! I filled it with toys in our living room and would sit him in it. It helped keep him from falling out and helped gain some core strength. The high back on this one helped keep him from falling over the sides. I even added in some blankets for cushion.

Davie struggled with prop sitting for the longest. He didn't even sit up by himself, unaided, until he was almost two years old! So we had to get creative in how we would help prop him up. He used the typical baby swings and newborn bouncers until he was 8 months old. Once he started to outgrow them we tried to find seats to put him in. Most did not work for Davie because his torso was SO long. He could literally bend over half of them, and the pressure hurt him. Hands down the best infant seat is the Fisher Price Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat. It has a high back with a fabric seat that didn't put pressure on his body. It also folds up so we could take it anywhere we went!

We also could not put Davie in a store buggy unless we padded it with extra cushion. Amazon has

shopping cart covers with a pillow that surrounds your child. These were nice for us, but we still added more. We got creative with throw pillows and even brought boppys to the store to help cushion him.

Even with proper support, Davie could not last long in a store buggy. We usually use strollers when go shopping with him. We have went through many strollers over the years and still use three consistently...they all serve a different purpose. One of my favorites is the Evenflo Reversi Stroller...we have went through two of these. The first one was called the Urbini Reversi. They later changed the name. This stroller lays COMPLETELY down which was exactly what we needed for Davie so he could drink his bottles in the stroller. This is why we still use this stroller today. He is pushing 4 years old

and is 42 inches tall and can still drink in this stroller. I like that it has three different recline positions that lock in so he can't shift the recline by bouncing or playing. It can also change to face out or face the parent. I love being able to have him facing me with the canopy down. It makes me feel like he's more protected from the elements during cold season. My next favorite is the Evenflo Pivot Xplore All Terrain Stroller Wagon with a seat attachment called the "second seat" This thing has saved our life in many aspects. We use the wagon for around the house or if we're camping. He loves to ride around in it. It has a lap belt that keeps him contained. There are multiple attachments like trays and two canopies that can be removed, plus a basket that can be moved to the outside of the wagon to hold necessities for you or your child. The BEST thing about this wagon is the SECOND SEAT. This seat attaches to the top of the wagon and turns your wagon into a super stroller. The second seat can hold up to 55 lbs and it lays all the way back if your child needs to sleep...or eat if you're Davie. I cannot tell you how many times I have used this wagon/stroller combo to go buy groceries with Davie. I can put him in the second seat then I have an entire wagon underneath him to fill with items. He is comfortable and I can take my time while we're out and about. Yes, this thing can be bulky, but the wagon actually collapses if you have a car or smaller suv. I actually leave it open and it fits in the back of my Nissan Pathfinder just fine. Our third stroller is one we use at home only to go on walks down the road or through the yard. https://amzn.to/3QvNW7t It is a Baby Trend jogging stroller with the real bike-type tires; so it's great for concrete, gravel, dirt or grass. It is large and fits him very well and has a very smooth ride.

Here is the AMAZING stroller/wagon combo: You have to buy the second seat separately (https://amzn.to/3dfi3Sj), but for a family like us it is so useful. You can also have a child in the second seat with one...or two children sitting in the wagon.

When Davie was around a year old he was not sitting up on his own. He did not have normal reflexes or tone in his arms, legs and core; therefore, he was not bearing weight in his legs like most babies and

toddlers do. I started looking for something he could stand in. We went through walkers, jumpers and bouncers. His torso was always too long for half of the items I tried for him. They didn't sit low enough to support his core. They also didn't raise high enough to properly stand up either. We ended up getting this bouncer/table combo and Davie used it for over two years!

It is the Skip Hop Activity Center. The bouncer on the bottom is adjustable. We actually ended up taking it off completely to accommodate Davie's height. He could completely spin around in this and there are plenty toys that kept him occupied. He loved the light up piano. As perfect as this was for him, there was still something missing. His core was so weak and he would just slump down into the chair. We stuffed blankets down in the seat, but it wasn't until my mom brought me a Huggapod that

our lives changed! The huggapod is a seat support cushion that can be used for low tone kids or any child that needs core support. This cushion had him supported and comfortable for much longer than him sitting by himself. He went from just a few minutes to over 30 minutes of being able to play in his bouncer. The huggapod can be used in many different walkers or standers and swings. It is an amazing product!

Another one of my favorites products for Davie is his highchair. We went through a few before settling on this one. His Aunt actually bought him this for his 2nd birthday after asking me what type of high chair I wanted since I had been complaining about how I struggled to feed him in what we had. So I researched it and we tried this out. First, the shape of the seat was nice and rounded with a 5 point

harness, which we needed for Dave. The best part is that it breaks down into a table and chair. Davie is going on four and he still uses this chair on the floor in the 5 point harness. Due to Davie's length, he

could rock and flip over. This chair being on the floor saves him from a drastic fall if he were to tip it over. The 5 point harness keeps him from rocking to begin with...big plus! When occupational and speech therapy came to our house last year we always used this chair on the floor. He loves to sit in it and play as well. All the products I shared above we used for extended amounts of time. I could not have imagined my life without them, and many I still couldn't survive without. These next ones I'm about to share are items we have used for camping or hiking. So they're not the

type of gear we would use on a daily basis but they were so nice to have when vacationing or out on a boat. We like to travel and camp so making sure Davie is comfortable and happy makes our entire family happy! When hiking in Arkansas we used a backpack carrier for Davie. He went on a 3 hour hike with us in this https://amzn.to/3BQC1gq

This camping chair is amazing! It has a 5 point harness, canopy and even a removable seat pad so your

child can actually stand. We have had this chair for 3 years now and take it camping or out on the back porch for Davie

We were thrilled when Davie started crawling, but that also meant we needed to contain him if we were outside playing or camping. The first playyard we had was much bigger than this one, but the sides were lower. So in no time he was flopping over the sides! The height of this one is higher, plus the top discouraged Davie from even trying to get out. In the event he still wanted to try, we could easily tie the top down. This one has a plastic flap that will hold an ipad or dvd player. It's big enough for them to move around with plenty of toys. We even used this as a bed area when we visited my parents vacation home. I added a toddler mattress and he slept just fine in there.

Last but not least, we ended up getting Davie his own walker. We tried the infant walkers and he never fit correctly. We talked with therapy about getting him a walker with gait trainer, but the prices were just so high and we got mixed emotions from specialists and therapists. After researching I came across some Nimbo walkers on Amazon. These are the same walkers you can get through insurance...yet thousands of dollars cheaper. We decided to purchase one and take it to therapy. His therapist was super impressed and went over what we could do to improve it. We added a gait trainer, the support seat and even a tray that he can use to hold himself up with. Davie still does not use this walker much; however, he is still learning to cruise. I feel like this will become his next big item that will help him start walking. These walkers come in different sizes and have different height adjustments for children. I'm glad to see affordable options for children with different needs and abilities! https://amzn.to/3A5axC9

There are many other products that have helped us along the way. The ones I have shared mostly aid in the physical aspect. I will share another post soon that showcases the products that help Davie in his speech and occupational areas. You will get there my sweet boy...in His time